Monday 14 October 2024

Then There Was Blood

Hello Friends!

I've been at a standstill for a few days having stupidly sliced open the top of my middle finger with a very sharp blade.  It was one of those stupid things that can, and often does, happen to anyone.  As with most incidents involving sharp implements and fingers, there was blood.  The first thing I had to do was stop the bleeding before I could even think about opening the First Aid Kit one handed!  Once the bleeding stopped, I sterilized the cut with Tea Tree oil and covered it with a dressing, mainly to protect it from reopening. A day later I was happy to remove the dressing, but it brought a sharp halt to my crafting and making of things.  After all, I didn't want to reopen the cut and get blood on my makes!

As I mentioned earlier, I've just taught myself to crochet and am making a poncho, which was coming along nicely until the cutting of my finger.  I've just about finished up the first ball, the poncho is now about 6" deep.  One ball down, two to go!  It's taking an eternity, and the weather is getting colder and I want to wear it!




Last night, the film adaptation of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was on.  It's okay, but not a patch on the book.  I won't say anything more unless you're waiting to either view or read.


Since I last wrote, I've had both my seasonal 'flu and Covid vaccinations, ten days apart.  It's worrying to read the rate at which the new variant of Covid is spreading and already putting strain on the NHS with hospital admissions.  Time to start wearing a mask again, I do think.

Until next time
Stay safe, stay well
Debbie xx

Monday 30 September 2024

End Of An Era

Hello Friends!

Why do I get so emotional and who would have thought that a simple job of ordering a repeat prescription would have seen me end up a snivelling heap of tears?

Pass the tissues, it's the end of an era.

I don't think anyone can remember a time when we didn't have a General Practitioner, aka a doctor, in the City.  I recall my mother speaking of Dr. Elliot who cared for her since she was a child, and I remember my first GP, Dr George Middleton, who administered care for me and countless many others over several decades. Since his retirement we've been served by many GP's including Drs Hamilton, Grimshaw, Sheldon, Van Kempen, Ferguson, Kauschinger, and Riley to name but a few.

How the Practice has grown with the NHS and changing needs of the community.  Back in the day, we had a GP and a District Nurse, who between them cared for everyone 24/7.  If you got taken ill "out of hours" you telephoned the doctor at his home and he came out regardless of the time, day or night.  We had an ambulance kept in the village, also on call 24/7.  A far cry from today when you wait hours for an ambulance to arrive and it is quicker to drive yourself to the closest A&E Department.

There was no such thing as booking an appointment with a receptionist.  If you wanted to see the Doctor you simply showed up at the Surgery, Monday through Friday, between 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. or between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. and took your turn.  Going to the doctor was a social event!  We crammed into the tiny waiting room with fourteen chairs and waited for the ding dong of the bell announcing Next Patient Please.  A mother with a crying baby or toddler was always invited to go in first!  A pile of magazines sat on a table in the middle of the room, but they mostly remained unread as we all chatted amicably, it was a good place to get all the latest local news!

The District Nurse, Nurse Davies, could be seen cycling her way around the district, come rain or shine, to get from patient to patient for the housebound. Nothing stopped this indomitable force from visiting her patients.  In later years she drove a Morris Minor.  She would be in attendance at the Surgery to assist with dressings, stitches, phlebotomy,             and other jobs during opening hours.  She worked alone, a far cry from today with multiple Practice Nurses present for a multitude of tasks and clinics.

Then came the days of the receptionist.  The first one I remember was Mrs Catherine Simpson, a lovely lady, totally in charge, she tolerated no nonsense!  Her job was to pull patient notes for the doctor and pass them through a tiny hatch into the consulting room, as well as other general duties.  Her "office" was no bigger than a broom cupboard, which with it's west facing aspect became a furnace in the summer evenings, a far cry from today with a team of receptionists on duty all day long, operating state of the art computers with an endless list of duties and jobs from ordering repeat prescriptions, booking appointments, organising tests, and so much more.  Nowadays, there is even a Practice Manager.  An entire company of workers!

These days it is appointment only and since the Pandemic many appointments are telephone consultations.  My, how things have changed.

When my mother went into labour with me, it was Nurse Davies who was called, and it was she who bundled my mother into her car to whisk her off to the nearest hospital maternity unit, with the message to my grandmother, "if the baby arrives in Newgale, we'll just turn around and come back home!"

When, aged just six weeks old, I was very ill with a bronchial infection, it was Doctor Middleton who attended to me several times a day and gave  my mother the advice, support and care needed to bring me back to the healthy, bouncing baby I became.

When my grandmother died unexpectedly in the early hours of a cold and sombre March morning, it was Doctor Middleton who was  at her bedside within ten minutes of us telephoning him.  He took care of everything efficiently, sympathetically, and professionally, making things as easy as he could for my mother.

Similar stories could be told by every household in the area. 

And now the Surgery is closing its doors for good.  It is a sad day.  I won't go into the whys or the wherefores, or the politics, or rumours that abound, it is happening and despite our protest marches and meetings, the good fight we fought against the bureaucrats of the NHS, the decision is made and will not be undone.  We are being transferred to another surgery in the next village over.  Things will never be the same.  The impact on our tiny community is colossal.

On Monday morning, I telephoned my monthly repeat prescription into the surgery that has served me and others so well for so long, for the last time.  I could not hold back the tears as I spoke to the lovely, kind receptionist on the phone. Jackie is a friend now, and I could hear her voice cracking too.  Next time it will be a different voice, a stranger who takes my request.  

Within a few weeks this old way of doing things will become history.  Children will grow up not knowing what a "house call" is, or what it is like to sit and wait your turn.  This way, the old way, it will be forgotten and become lost in the mists of time, fading slowly from memory until but a whisper, then gone forever.

I cannot begin to express my gratitude to all the doctors, nurses, receptionists and support staff who have cared for me , my family, and countless others over the years, their presence in the City will be sorely missed.

It is the end of an era.

Until next time
Stay safe, stay well
Debbie xx


Thursday 19 September 2024

Finally Getting Somewhere . . .

Hello Friends!

Well, if you want all the local goss, go to the hairdressers!  Not only have I come home feeling much better about the head, I've got all the news about what's going on in the City.

There's a new Fish and Chip Shop coming where the Veg Patch used to be {that's now in the old Belmont House on the Cross Square.  Lloyds Bank is soon to open doors on yet another chain, this time it's Salt Rock Clothing.  Not my cup of tea.  And at last the lease is sold on the former Food and Wine, it is being taken over by a new owner who is opening a new deli on the premises.  It has been empty all summer long and been much missed by the visitors and locals alike.

No further news on the GP Surgery which is set to close on 31st October.  It is disgraceful, in my opinion, that the First Minister is refusing to get involved, hiding behind that invisible cloak of a declaration of interest in that she has family members living in the City who are patients at the Surgery. Surely she would want to do all she could to help in that case?  I know that's not how it works, but even so!

I've found out who the three City Councillors are that are being replaced, but so far no one has come forward for either election or cooption.  I certainly would not want the job, although I've been asked to stand many times in the past.

Another bombshell is that my hairdresser is retiring in November after 54 years of service to the community.  This now begs the question where will I get my hair cut, and by whom?

To quote the wonderful Bob Dylan, for the times, they are a changin'

I am not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I am crocheting a poncho.  And, I'm finally getting somewhere!

I taught myself to crochet recently by using good illustrations and YouTube.  One day I saw Sarah Payne Quilter demonstrating a rather lovely little poncho so I sent off for the pattern and yarn in Boho Festival.  

Here are some photos.

Front cover of pattern


what it should look like

my yarn



and finally after much unravelling and starting over . . . 


I don't think it looks too bad for a novice first effort, and I thought it's not too long and seems just right for covering the shoulders, chest and back, without the floppy bits of a scarf and would stay put as an extra layer to fight the cold this coming winter when the thermostat will be turned down.  

I have a pair of Llama Leggings in Garden of Dreams which really matches well!  They are very good quality leggings too!



Finally, a quick and easy note card using stamps, gold gel pen, and mirri card.  Always useful to have on hand.



Until next time
Stay safe, stay well
Debbie xx

Sunday 15 September 2024

Can You Help, Please?

Hello Friends!

This is an entry I never expected to write, and I have a huge favour to ask of you.

We have recently been made aware of an international defence programme called Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability {DARC} and that the soon to be vacant Cawdor Barracks at Brawdy {when the Army moves out in 2028} is the proposed site for this monstrous construction of 27 massive radar dishes and the accompanying facility.

The very land, this most magical and ancient of places, wild and wonderful, imbued with a deep and pure spirituality that is rare to find unspoiled in our world today, sits on the edge of a precipice where it could slip into a bottomless despond of doom.

This is in the very heart of Pembrokeshire, not even 8 miles from where I live.  If it comes here and believe me, we are fighting tooth and claw against it, it will destroy the community in countless ways.  The risks to health are unknown, or undisclosed, and who knows what those risks will be?  No one will say.  We will become a primary target in the event of war {a threat that grows daily}. The landscape will be destroyed, and vital, natural habitats and ecosystems wiped out. Twenty seven giant radar dishes will dominate what is left of the landscape, visible for miles. Tourism, a primary source of income to the county, will be disrupted and fail, costing jobs and livelihoods.  Businesses will fail. House prices will plummet.  The already fragile local economy will fail.  Families will move away.  The Sacred Energy of centuries will be desecrated. These are just a few of the things that will be impacted if these proposals reach fruition.

There have been meetings and protests.  Just this week, there were two meetings in St Davids and Solva and it was clear to those who attended that the Ministry Of Defence were not prepared to answer questions put in person on the day, and that they will only look at answers to the questionnaires {hard copy and online}

I am not an eloquent person, I can only write what is in my heart, and in my heart I do know that this CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN.

So, my friends, I am asking, no I am imploring you to please read the link to the information on DARC, below, and then PLEASE will you SIGN the PETITION, below that.  If you can, please share and spread the word.  I don't often ask for anything, but I am asking now.



Thank you
Until next time
Stay safe, stay well
Debbie xx



Saturday 14 September 2024

A Strange Aid to Keeping Warm this Winter.

Hello Friends!

As the temperatures plummet to unseasonably cold for mid September, I thought I'd share this serendipitous discovery of one economical way I will be keeping warm this winter.  

Of all things, it's a cooling gel pad!!!

I bought it way back in the spring in anticipation of a hot summer and the need to cool down. Therefore, I must take full responsibility for the lack of summer here in west Wales.

Since developing Parkinson's I struggle to regulate my body temperature so I don't feel cold when I am cold, or hot when I am hot.  I must take responsibility for ensuring I maintain the right core temperature by manually balancing it myself by way of heating and cooling aids.

With no discernible sight of summer, I decided to try it out regardless, so one summer afternoon, I put the pad on my chair and sat on it.  It is as simple as that.  I immediately felt my back and legs get noticeably colder.  However, after about five or ten minutes, I noticed that the pad was now getting warmer, obviously absorbing my body heat, and instead of keeping cool I now found myself getting warmer as the pad absorbed and reflected my own body heat back at me.  Not much good as a cooling down aid then.  Total waste of money, I thought . . .

or was it . . . 

The other evening, I sat here bordering on shivering as the temperatures dropped to unseasonably low.  Suddenly, I had an epiphany as I remembered the cooling pad that made me warm!  If the cooling pad reflected my heat back at me, would it work now?  I put it back on my chair.  I braced myself for the cooling surface, shuddered and shivered for a few moments as the cooling phase happened, but then the magic I'd been hoping for happened!

My own body heat started to reflect back on me!  Hurrah!  It kept me toasty warm all evening!  Even when I went to make a cup of tea it retained the heat!  More Hurrah!  Cheaper than a hot water bottle, and also covers a greater surface area than one too!

Treasure wanted in on this one!  He gives it a BIG TWO THUMBS UP!!!    👍👍

If you want to give it a go, just type in "Cooling Gel Pillow" to your search engine.  This one is a pillow size one, but larger, bed size ones that would do well on a sofa are available too.

Until next time
Stay safe, stay well, and stay warm!
Debbie xx

Wednesday 11 September 2024

Properly Chuffed

Hello Friends!

Properly chuffed.  As you know, from time to time I get a photograph selected by the Western Telegraph newspaper as their Photo of the Day.  Well, this time I've surpassed that!

Imagine my utter delight to find they are using it as their current header photo for their Facebook page!  

I took a screen capture for posterity!



I had to walk home from the dentist and got caught in the rain, I got rather wet but didn't mind a bit, it was so refreshing.

I'm currently putting together a blog on Autumn, but my typing is slow and inaccurate right now so it's a slow process, but pop back in a day or two, it should be up.

Until next time
Stay safe, stay well
Debbie x

Saturday 31 August 2024

Don't Be Afraid To Ask Now!

Hello Friends!

Today would have been my Grandmother's birthday. She died 47 years ago when I was 19. How I wish I'd asked her all those questions I now have that only she would know the answers to!

She was, by all accounts, in her younger days quite a remarkable woman. I would love to talk to her about the roles she played in both World Wars as a volunteer in the WVS, life as housekeeper in the Deanery, as the wife of the Cathedral Caretaker, even delivering newspapers to all the houses in the village because the menfolk were gone to war, and when she had to shimmy up and down on the Cathedral rooves as part of the wartime fire drills! I'd love to know more about the dances in the City Hall, and the years she spent as a pastry cook at the Dyfed Cafe. Her sense of fashion and penchant for hats was second to none! I'd comfort her as she'd tell of the heartache and immense loss of losing her baby girl aged four months, the Aunt I never knew. How different our lives would have been had the baby lived.

Oh! The things I would ask, the things I would discover, the stories she'd tell!

Ask all the questions you have now, don't put it off until it's too late!

With her young brother on the eve of WWI. He is only a child himself. He came home.


A rare family photo on the occasion of the Coronation of King George VI .  They decked out every house in the street back then.

My {short} grandmother, Nanna, s second from the right {wearing an omnipresent hat} and my {tall} grandfather, Dacu is the smartly dressed gentleman in light coloured slacks.


This vintage {antique?} postcard was sent to them while they were courting. Someone had a sense of humour.


Until next time
Stay safe, stay well
Debbie x